My First Home Renovation: 3 Ways to Add Value & Save Money

​Seven years ago, my renovation strategy started to change. It all began with the first historic home project I did in the Phoenix Fairview Place Historic District. This project helped me find my passion for historic homes and small spaces. I learned a ton of lessons I’ve taken with me since then.
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If you’re thinking about revamping your home or want advice for flipping a house, take these nuggets of wisdom from me. They’ll help you cut costs and add value to a home. Plus, they make a space more functional and a whole lot more appealing. 

1. Repurpose Materials

If you’re getting rid of materials from one part of a house, think about how they might work somewhere else.

For example, to save money when I was renovating this historic home, I moved the cabinets from the main house into the guest house and used the leftover countertop remnants, as well. These were only small pieces, but they worked for a secondary space like this.

You can really get creative during the renovation process. Some ideas:

• Take discarded tiles from a floor or ceiling and use them for a statement wall.
• Break down an old wooden door and turn it into rustic upcycled cabinet doors.
• Give an old dresser a new paint job and install it in a bathroom as a vanity.

Also, carefully think about elements in a room that could still work or be improved with a simple upgrade. For example, I kept the industrial concrete floors in the guest house, because they have benefits like:

• They’re low-maintenance.
• They’re durable.
• They can easily be enhanced to look more luxurious with a simple surface treatment, like an acid stain or concrete floor paint.

​Moving home elements from one room to another, or transforming them for a whole new function, is an easy way to elevate a space without having to spend on new materials. 

2. Think Functionality

A huge way to add value to a home is to make it more functional. Especially with historic and older homes, the way they were designed back then doesn’t always fit how we live today.

With this guest house, I moved the center door over to the left to make the kitchen more functional. That door on the right? That became a window.

These simple tweaks made a big impact, creating a seamless flow in the kitchen, providing more space for a sink and countertops, and letting in a whole lot more light.

Wondering how to make a home more functional as you renovate? Here are some tips.

• Open up a floor plan. If a wall just doesn’t make sense where it is, open it. You can turn an older home into one that instantly feels more spacious by creating larger openings that make sense and still look period-appropriate for the home. For example, archways are one of my favorites!
• Look for opportunities to add shelving and storage. Wherever there’s unused space, think about how it can be more functional. In this guest house kitchen, we didn’t have enough upper cabinets, so we used opened shelves to fill those gaps.
• Add a bench. If there’s a part of your house that’s an unused corner, add a storage bench. You’ve now created seating and storage that’s uncluttered.

​In kitchens, you can add a kitchen island or add cabinetry to an existing kitchen island. Floor-to-ceiling cabinets are a great way to make space more functional, too.

3. Retain a Home’s Charm

Here’s a tip you might not expect from me, a Phoenix real estate agent: don’t always listen to real estate agents.

With this house, the agent I was working with said, “New windows sell houses.” So, I replaced all the windows.

At the time, I didn’t understand the value of architecture. Now, I realize replacing the windows was a mistake. The original windows had given the home a lot of character. Retaining them could have also saved a lot of money.

Always respect the home and keep its true charm intact. Many homebuyers will pay for features with a vintage look or real vintage touches.

Some older home features you should consider keeping include:

• Ceiling medallions
• Crown and radius moldings
• Exposed brick
• Mosaic floor tile
• Pedestal sinks
• Roofing tiles
• Original wood doors
• Small plank wood floors

And, finally, windows! You can give older windows a makeover by adding exterior shutters, installing indoor window treatments, upgrading the landscaping around the windows or adding flower boxes underneath them. If the windows are old or damaged, repairing them to good-as-new condition can also be a lot less expensive than replacing them altogether.
Before You Replace: Repurpose, Restore & RepairYou don’t have to give a home a complete makeover to upgrade it. To save money and add value during a home flip or remodel:

1. Repurpose materials where you can. If something like the flooring is serving the house perfectly, there’s no need to spend money to replace it just because.
2. Think about how you can make your space more functional with what you have to work with. A small shift, like moving the access to a room, can make a big impact.
3. Keep what gives a home its charm. Repair or restore wherever possible.

Want to see more examples of how I took those lessons from my first home renovation into future ones? Check out some of my recent home renovation projects, where you can shop the same items I used in designing the homes.